A mum has told how her twin sons are winning their fights for life after they were born 15 weeks early.

Kelli Lawless went into labour when she was just 25 weeks and five days’ pregnant and delivered her sons by emergency caesarean section at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital

Son Jai was born first followed by brother Khal. Both boys weighed just 790g each or 1lb 11 oz.

Now, as her sons left Hull’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), Kelli and partner David thanked staff for saving their sons’ lives.

“We were taking it hour by hour at the start, not knowing if the boys would make it,” Kelli said. “The staff in NICU are just absolutely amazing.

“It was mind-blowing at the start, with all the machines and the beeping and everything else that goes on. But the nurses were so kind and looked after us as well as Jai and Khal.

“There aren’t the words to thank them enough.”

Baby Jai

Kelli has five other children – Kadie, 20, Kacie, 18, Jodeci, 14, Kory, 9, and three-year-old Ko-dee – and was over the moon when she and David discovered they were expecting twins.

The couple, who live at Patrington Haven, were given an expected due date of April 14 but when she woke up on January 4, Kelli discovered she was bleeding slightly.

“I thought it was a water infection but I went to hospital for a check-up anyway,” she said. “With this pregnancy being twins, they keep a close eye on you but I still felt ok.”

Tests at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital showed no sign of infection but midwives discovered Kelli was two centimetres dilated and started monitoring her.

“I was having what I thought were Braxton Hicks because I knew it was way too early for me to be having the babies,” she said.

“I hadn’t even bought a single thing for them because I was just getting Christmas and New Year out of the way. I still had four months to go and I thought I’d loads of time.”

She was taken to the hospital’s labour ward where staff monitored her and the babies every 15 minutes. However, after what felt like a stomach cramp, a scan was carried out what showed one of the babies was lying in a breech position.

Staff immediately prepared Kelli for an emergency caesarean section and David’s mother arrived in the operating theatre just in time to see Jai born while David stayed at home with the couple’s children.

Jai had chest  compressions  while Khal was born two minutes later and both boys were rushed to NICU immediately as the battle began to save them.

Baby Khal

Kelli did not see her sons for six hours although David was able to come in and be with them while she recovered from major surgery.

“It was just like being caught in a whirlwind,” she said. “Everything happened so quickly. I came in, was in labour, was in theatre, the babies were taken past me and I couldn’t see them properly. I didn’t have time to think.”

Kelli will never forget the first time she saw her sons.

“They were just so tiny,” she said. “There are all these machines and the constant beeping. It’s quite scary and it was a bit mind-blowing. But the staff were so fantastic.

“You take things for granted. You never see this side of giving birth until you have to and then you are so grateful they are there.”

Jai thrived in the first week while Khal was very poorly, suffering a bowel perforation and undergoing surgery.

“We nearly lost him then,” said Kelli. “They called us in and asked if we wanted him to be blessed as they weren’t sure if he’d make it or not. But the nurses were shocked by how quickly he began to pick up.”

As Khal recovered, Jai’s condition took a turn for the worse, suffering a severe lung infection and chronic lung disease.

At one stage, he flat-lined, requiring adrenalin to bring him back and he developed pneumonia.

“It was touch and go more than once,” said Kelli.

At the end of February, Jai was taken off the ventilator as his condition improved and he is now doing well.

Both boys have continued to put on weight with Khal weighing 1.5kg (3lbs 5oz) and Jai weighing 1.3kg (2lb 13oz) by the start of March.

Kelli said: “We’re just watching them grow.

“The staff in NICU are just incredible. One nurse, Natalie Cook, stayed with Jai for four nights in a row and she has quite a bond with him. You cannot fail to be so grateful for all they do.”

Hospital staff caring for elderly patients are appealing to families to bring spare clothes to hospital so their loved ones can get home sooner.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is taking part in #EndPJParalysis, a 70-day initiative to get patients into their day clothes to promote quicker recovery.

Studies have shown that an older person will lose 10 per cent of their muscle mass with every week spent in a hospital bed and that just 10 days of bed rest for an older person is equivalent to 10 years of muscle ageing. A report on frailty last year also discovered three-quarters of patients die in hospital if their mobility declines during their first two days of hospital admission.

Now, the Department of Medical Elderly at Hull Royal Infirmary is aiming to have 50 per cent of patients in their normal clothes by the 70^th anniversary of the NHS on July 5.

Senior Matron Stacey Healand leads a nursing team caring for more than 100 patients at any one time on wards 8, 80 and 90, the “Progression to Discharge” Unit (PDU) and the Elderly Assessment Unit (EAU).

She said: “I don’t think families realise the impact that being in hospital can have on older people.

“The quicker we can get them home and back in a normal routine, the less effect a hospital stay will have on their loved ones.

“The longer a patient is in hospital, the greater the risk of infection so it’s in their best interests to get them out of hospital more quickly.”

The trust launched #EndPJParalysis on April 17 where nursing staff are using a special app on mobile devices to record how many patients are wearing normal, everyday clothes instead of their pyjamas.

The aim of the initiative is to achieve one million bed days where patients are out of their nightwear and in their daytime clothes, providing they are well enough. as part of their rehabilitation.

The Department of Medical Elderly cares for older patients with a complex medical history including dementia, falls, continence, and patients at the end of life. Staff look after people with a vast range of medical conditions who cannot feed, wash or look after themselves.

Dr Kirsten Richards, consultant physician and Clinical Director for Elderly Medicine, adapted the #EndPJParalysis initiative to suit older patients following telephone conversations with New Zealand-based Professor Brian Dolan who was responsible for initiating the original social media #EndPJParalysis campaign.

Stacey Healand said: “She felt some patients might be frightened by the term ‘paralysis’ so we’re calling it ‘Get up, get dressed and keep moving’.”

She said families and care home staff have a key role to play in bringing spare clothes into hospital when an elderly relative is admitted and ensuring they are taken away for washing.

“Most of our patients are admitted in their nightwear and dressing gowns and we sometimes have to contact families four or five times before they will bring in spare clothes,” she said.

“People are used to seeing patients in pyjamas but we’re asking for families to help us because it will be far better for their loved ones.

“We do not have the facilities to wash clothes here so we’re asking families to help us because it will be such a benefit to their relatives.”

Stacey said wearing their own clothes in hospital helped patients feel more positive about their recovery.

She said: “Wearing pyjamas or hospital gowns makes a patient feel they are more ill and need to take to their bed, whereas a patient wearing their own clothes feels that they are getting better.

“They are more likely to keep moving and will lose less muscle strength, giving them far more chance of maintaining their independence once they leave hospital.”

Midwives are revealing their passion for their jobs to mark this year’s International Day of the Midwife.

Staff at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital will use a specially designed photo frame bearing the messages “I love being a midwife because…” and “I love being a midwifery assistant because…” to take selfies and explain why they love their jobs to mark the global day of celebration.

Nikola Donner (left) and Jessyka Jackson

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust will then post the selfies and the midwives’ and midwifery assistants’ stories on Facebook and Twitter as teams around the world join in the event on Saturday.

Midwife Nikola Donner, who works as a rotational midwife on all the wards, came up with the idea with Jessyka Jackson, who works on Rowan Ward, Rachael Edwards, who also works as a rotational midwife, and clinical governance midwife Jennifer Moverley.

All Royal College of Midwives (RCM) officials, the women will tour the antenatal clinic, antenatal wards, delivery ward, post natal ward and community midwives’ office this week to collect the views and selfies of staff taking part.

Nikola said: “We just thought this was a good way of celebrating what we do and explaining why we love the job of being a midwife.

“It’s a fantastic honour to be with women and their families at such a special time in their lives.

“We’ll then collect all the selfies and transfer them onto posters for the wall so everyone can see how we feel about being a midwife.”

Head of Midwifery Janet Cairns

Head of midwifery Janet Cairns said the trust would be sharing the midwives’ selfies on its social media pages to highlight the passion staff felt for their roles.

She said: “Being a midwife is an absolute privilege, being with, and caring for women and their families at such an important time is just fantastic.

“This is a great way of sharing the views of our dedicated team who are there for women from all over Hull and the East Riding as such an important time in their lives.”

Thieves have stolen memorabilia from a hospital waiting room set up to help patients with memory problems.

Staff in the Fracture Clinic at Hull Royal Infirmary set up the memory area in the style of a front room from the 1960s and 1970s to ensure patients living with dementia could feel calm before attending appointments.

Clinical support worker Kerry Morten, who has worked at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust for 18 years, collected household memorabilia from tea pots, dishes, ornaments and furniture to create an authentic area for patients to relax in before they are treated or even to have their treatment carried out in less stressful situations.

She said: “We created a front room with authentic wall-paper, furniture and ornaments donated by people or brought in by staff.  We’re so grateful to everyone who has helped us.

“We’ve noticed, over the past few months, that things are going walkabout. We’ve bought books with old photographs of Hull with our own money and they’ve gone.

“Someone gave us a tea set and half of that has gone missing, with the teapot and even the tea cosy being taken.

“We even had a load of old newspapers dating back from the early 1900s handed into us and someone’s taken them too.

“I just don’t know how people could do that. They must know who this area is for but they’ve just decided they’re having the stuff and that’s that. I don’t have the words to describe how I feel about these people.”

The Fracture Clinic is based on the ground floor of the tower block and sees around 600 patients every week, with a further 600 patients seen by some of the 35-strong team in the orthopaedics outpatients’ department.

People come to the clinic after breaking bones and to have their bones set in plaster casts to help them mend.

Staff working in the Fracture Clinic are now appealing to the public who come to the area for appointments to leave the items in the “front room” so the patients living with memory problems can benefit.

Kerry said: “Looking at photographs they remember or images they recognise can help people feel calmer and take their minds off the reason why they’ve come to the Fracture Clinic.

“Not only does that help the patients, it also helps the staff but we can’t keep providing this area of calm if people keep stealing the furniture, books and ornaments.

“I’d ask people to think twice before they put something in their pockets that could help someone in far more need than they are.”

Midwives at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust answer your questions as part of our on-going work to support women at every stage of their pregnancy, through the birth and beyond after your baby’s arrival.

What’s happening to my baby?

By 13 weeks, your baby weighs around 25g

Just two weeks later, at Week 15, they can hear muted sounds from the outside world as well as the sound of your voice and heart.

Their eyes also become sensitive to light, even though their eyes are shut, and they can register a bright light outside your stomach.

At 20 weeks pregnant, you’re halfway through your pregnancy. You might feel your baby move for the first time when you’re around 17 or 18 weeks pregnant. Most first-time mums notice the first movements when they’re between 18 and 20 weeks pregnant.

By 21 weeks, your baby weighs around 350g. From about this stage onwards, your baby will weigh more than the placenta, which is feeding your baby with all the nutrients it needs.  Until now, the placenta was heavier than your baby. The placenta will keep growing throughout pregnancy, but not as fast as your baby.

By the end of the second trimester your baby’s eyelids open for the first time and she or he will soon start blinking. However, it’s not until some weeks after the birth that your baby’s eyes become the colour they will stay.

 What about me?

Most women say this is the time when their pregnancy starts to feel real. You might just have told your family and friends after your first scan and trying to keep those feelings of sickness and tiredness to yourself.

The good news is most women should start to feel better when you move into the period between the 13^th and 28^th week of pregnancy, known as the second trimester.

Those feelings of tiredness associated with early pregnancy are probably subsiding. If you’ve experienced morning sickness in the first few weeks, chances are you’ll be feeling better now.

You might have an increased sex drive as a result of pregnancy hormones or increased blood flow to the pelvic area but lots of women don’t get this so don’t feel there’s anything wrong.

A small bump is beginning to emerge and the urge to go for a wee more often will subside, although not altogether.

 What tests will I be offered?

You’ll be offered your second ultrasound scan at around 20 weeks. This scan is part of the screening programme and is to check for abnormalities in the baby. Your midwife will give you information about this and answer any questions you may have.

The sonographers may be able to inform you at this scan whether you are having a boy or a girl once they have completed the detailed observation of your baby.

Photographs of the scans at 20 weeks, costing £8, can be obtained from the machine in the foyer of the Women and Children’s Hospital. You can use either cash or a card and order as many copies as you would like.

At your 28-week appointment, you will be offered a blood test. The tests routinely offered are a full blood count to check iron levels, white cell count and platelets and a blood grouping and antibodies to ensure you haven’t developed any antibodies in your pregnancy.

Seeing the midwife

You will see the midwife at between 24 and 25 weeks if this is your first baby or for women who require closer monitoring.

At these appointments, the midwife will undertake a full antenatal assessment including checking your blood pressure and will listen to your baby’s heart rate. The midwife will also discuss with you your emotional well-being.

At each antenatal appointment, you’ll be asked to provide a urine sample, This is to test for minor infection or to observe for symptoms associated with high blood pressure and diabetes.

From your appointment at around 28, weeks the growth of your baby will be monitored. This may be through measuring the height of your uterus or by regular scans. The measurements from both of these will be plotted onto a personalised growth chart within your handheld notes.

From the 20-week scan, you can phone or email the Hey Baby line on 07769671449 or email hyp-tr.hey.baby@nhs.net to book your free NHS antenatal classes if you live within the Hull boundary with an HU1 to HU9 postcode. You can attend with a partner or a friend.

The classes are held in different areas of Hull and are over three weeks,  provide information on labour, birth, caring for your newborn, infant feeding, safer sleeping, caring for you and your baby, healthy lifestyles and safety in the home.

UsMums also arrange a post-natal catch-up where you can meet up with the other new mums and partners from the group around six weeks after your baby is born.

If you live in the East Riding, you can book classes at your local children’s centre or ask your community midwife for more details.

Planning for the birth

It’s never too soon to start thinking about your options for birth and your midwife will already have discussed your options at your booking in appointment.

These include having a home birth, having your baby in the Fatima Allam Birth Centre or, for some women, the most appropriate place to give birth is on the obstetric unit under the care of a consultant obstetrician.

It is really important that you have these discussions early and that you start planning well ahead of your due date although your options for place of birth can change at any point during your pregnancy.

You can get advice from your midwife or you can come along to the HEY Baby Carousel to chat to midwives about the best options for you and your baby.

Maternity leave and financial matters

At your appointment around 16 weeks, you will be offered an FW8, a form which you send off to receive an exemption card, entitling you to free NHS prescriptions and dental care until your baby is one. If you are able to apply for Healthy Start Vouchers, you can also obtain this form at your appointment.

Once you have passed your 20^th week of pregnancy, you are able to obtain a MATB1 which your work will require and to enable you to apply for some benefits. You can get your MATB1 when you are seen by the midwife, in the Antenatal Clinic or by attending the Hey Baby Carousel at Women and Children’s Hospital on the last Wednesday of every month, as long as you bring your green notes with you.

If you are taking maternity leave from work, you need to tell your employer in writing at least 15 weeks before your baby is due. If your partner plans to take paternity leave they also need to inform their employer at this time.

If you’re entitled to Maternity Allowance, you can claim from 26 weeks pregnant. Visit www.gov.uk for more information on benefits for families.

When to see the doctor?

Most women won’t experience any problems during pregnancy but it is important to be aware of significant signs and symptoms that need to be discussed with a medical professional.

You need to contact the maternity unit immediately if you have:

• Noticed your baby’s movements have changed
• Any vaginal bleeding or leaking of fluid
• Obvious swelling of your hand, face or upper body
• A persistent headache
• Any problems with your vision (blurring, flashing lights, spots, difficulty focusing)
• Severe pain just below the ribs, in the middle of your tummy
• Itching, particularly of your hand or feet

Please contact your GP if you experience any other health-related issues.

Helping employers deal with the most difficult and delicate of subjects

A special event is being held next month to help employers of all sizes to better handle bereavement.

According to the bereavement charity, Cruse, one in ten people in the UK is thought to be affected by bereavement at any given time. Whilst most bereaved people will cope reasonably well at work, others struggle to deal with their loss, and this can impact on both productivity and relationships with co-workers.  And what of co-workers and managers – how do you approach a colleague who’s dealing with grief? What do you say, and what should you do? How do you balance their needs with that of the workplace?

To help local employers support all of their staff with this most difficult and delicate of subjects, the Bereavement Team at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is joining with Cruse Bereavement Care and Dove House Hospice, to host ‘At a Loss for Words’, a dedicated FREE breakfast seminar for businesses on Tuesday 15^th May.

Sponsored by Macmillan, the event is free to attend and will take place from 8:30am to 12:30pm at the Mercure Grange Park Hotel in Willerby (free breakfast and registration from 7:30am). Delegates will be able to hear first-hand experiences of managing bereavement from employers and employees, attend workshops, put questions to the expert panel, and receive a bereavement resource pack to take away and use in the workplace. Speakers include John Creasey from Dove House Hospice, who will help delegates to better understand bereavement, and Lizzie Jordan, a mother, widow and award-winning social entrepreneur who will provide a first-hand account of working life after bereavement.

Dr Barbara Payman, Bereavement Counsellor for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“Everyone will be affected by bereavement at some stage. Loss and grief can be difficult enough for people to speak about with their loved ones, but for employers, who understandably have to have one eye on their needs of their business, staff bereavement can pose extra challenges.

“Our special breakfast seminar will offer local employers the chance to hear from experts and ask questions which they may previously have been worried about asking. From compassionate leave and sources of bereavement support, right through to  understanding the  employee’s ongoing needs as they  return to work, our experts will give an insight into how best to deal with bereavement in the interests of the employee, co-workers, and the business as a whole.”

The breakfast seminar is suitable for employers of any size who would like assistance with bereavement issues, and is being held to coincide with national Dying Matters Awareness Week.

Dr Payman continues:

“Loss and bereavement can be devastating, and people can find it very awkward just knowing what to say to someone who has lost a loved one, so many people avoid talking about these issues. It can be particularly difficult to know how best to help bereaved people at work.

“By offering appropriate support to bereaved staff and colleagues, we not only help them, but our workplace too –people respond very well to ‘feeling understood and cared about’. Please come to this event to chat to us and learn more about bereavement at work and what we can do to help.”

‘At a Loss for Words’ will take place from 7:30am-12.30pm on Tuesday 15^th May at the Mercure Grange Park Hotel in Willerby. It is free to attend but places must be reserved in advance. Click here for a copy of the event flyer and the registration form. To book your place or for more information, contact Angela McLoughlin on 01482 461319 or email Angela.Mcloughlin@hey.nhs.uk 

Worried how you’ll manage to look after your new-born baby? Do you know how to keep your baby safe while they’re sleeping or how to fit a nappy?

Hull’s team of midwives, midwifery assistants and birth educators will be on hand this week to give out hints and tips at the special HEY Baby Carousel at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital.

Parents-to-be can learn how to fit nappies, bath their baby and gain safer sleeping advice during practical demonstrations in a safe, non-judgemental learning environment.

Janet Cairns, head of midwifery at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Looking after a new-born baby can feel a little overwhelming for some new parents but our team are here to show you what you need to know to see you through those first few weeks.

“We’ll show you safer sleeping techniques, how to keep your baby safe while you bathe them and even how to take a nappy on and off.

“For some parents, this will be the first time they’ve ever been shown how to put on a nappy and it’s great to get in some practice before you do it for real.”

The HEY Baby Carousel is held on the last Wednesday of every month in the ground floor of Hull Women and Children’s Hospital.

Hundreds of couples attend, often with their own parents, friends or other children, to talk to our midwives and childcare experts at the friendly and welcoming drop-in session. Some choose to come more than once, at different stages of their pregnancies.

People can wander through the stalls offering advice on healthy lifestyles, smoking cessation, emotional and mental wellbeing for partners and keeping fit during pregnancy, birth and after your baby has arrived.

If women bring their hand-held maternity notes, the midwives can discuss birth plans and give out MAT B1 forms which need to be handed into employers to claim maternity leave and pay.

You can also speak to our midwives for advice and discuss your options for giving birth including the midwifery-led Fatima Allam Birth Centre, in your own home or with consultant-led care at Hull’s delivery ward on the second floor of the hospital.

There’s no need to book an appointment – just drop in any time between 6pm and 8pm.

The NHS turns 70 on 5^th July, and to mark this fantastic milestone, health organisations are appealing to local designers and artists to help them celebrate.

A special NHS at 70 artwork competition is being held as part of the forthcoming Hull and East Riding Health Expo, seeking a design or piece of art which depicts the local NHS and how people feel about it.

The winning design will be displayed at the Health Expo event, which takes place at the Hilton DoubleTree Hotel on Ferensway on Thursday 5^th July this year. It will also be printed onto commemorative merchandise which will be made available at the event to celebrate the health service’s 70^th year. The winning artist will also receive an iPad and a £100 art supplies voucher.

The competition opens on Friday 20 April and will close at 11:59pm on Monday 4^th June (deadline now extended). The winning design will be revealed on the day of the event.

THE BRIEF:

We’re looking for a piece of artwork, no larger than 70cm x 40cm, to celebrate the 70^th anniversary of the NHS. The design must feature the number ‘70’ and reference to the National Health Service or NHS. Beyond that, artists are free to portray the occasion however they wish to do so. Potential things artists may also wish to consider when developing a design include (but are not limited to):

• A personal connection to the NHS
• How the NHS makes people feel
• The impact the NHS has on people’s lives
• The different types of worker employed by the NHS
• Local healthcare estate or recognisable buildings/facilities
• Changes in healthcare over time

Artwork can be submitted electronically or in hard copy.

Hard copy – Simply submit your artwork, along with a completed entry form available to download here, to NHS 70 Artwork Competition, Communications Office, 1^st Floor, Alderson House, Hull Royal Infirmary, Anlaby Road, Hull, HU3 2JZ.

Electronically – Email your design, along with a completed entry form available to download here, to hyp-tr.events@nhs.net and mark the subject field ‘NHS 70 Artwork competition’.

Please note we cannot guarantee return of hard copy submissions.

Click here for full competition terms and conditions. 

After the closing date, entries will be judged by a panel of local art and healthcare professionals. The winner will be notified and their winning design unveiled at the Health Expo.

Clinical Support Worker, Jo Howley, retires just days before her 75th birthday

A Beverley woman whose NHS career spans more than 33 years is set to retire today, less than a week before her 75^th birthday.

Jo Howley spent five years nursing at Beverley Westwood Hospital before moving to Ward 11 at Castle Hill Hospital when it opened 28 years ago. She has worked on the ward as a Clinical Support Worker ever since, caring for patients who have undergone colorectal surgery.

But on Friday 20^th April, Jo will work her last shift before finally retiring from Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Jo says:

“I’ll be 75 next week but I really don’t feel it. I just love working here, I’ve been so happy and I’m really going to miss the people; both the patients and the people I work with, it’s such a great team.

“The NHS has changed a lot over the years, but things have definitely changed for the better and I’ve loved being a part of it.”

Colleagues have already treated Jo to farewell flowers and gifts, and around 40 work colleagues, past and present will, be joining her for a celebratory meal this evening.

Tracy Kelly, Staff Nurse on Ward 11, has worked alongside Jo since the ward opened. She says:

“I have worked with Jo for 28 years, so she really has become my right hand woman. She’s such a calm and caring professional, you can trust her with anything, and she’s been an emotional support for hundreds of patients over the years as well as someone who provides them with physical nursing care. She’s one in a million.”

Junior Sister, Catherine Hellewell, says:

“There’s never any drama or crisis with Jo, she just goes about her business; we often say she never rushes around, she just floats! When I met Jo I remember saying she’s just like a mum, she is so thoughtful and supportive. They certainly don’t make them like Jo any more, and we’re sad to see her go.”

Ward Sister, Sam Bell, says:

“Jo has been such a good role model for our new starters. We know that if we put a new auxiliary or student nurse with Jo, we know she will support them and teach them right. She is a credit to the Trust and to the NHS in general and even now, she can still knock spots off some of our younger nurses; she’s going to be irreplaceable.”

Once she has formally retired, Jo plans to holiday in France with her family and spend some of her spare time gardening.